Initiation (Todd Rundgren album)

Initiation is the sixth album by American musician Todd Rundgren, released May 23, 1975 on Bearsville Records. With this album, Rundgren fully embraced the synthesized prog sound he had begun exploring in more depth in his work with his band Utopia. However, unlike Utopia, in which Rundgren had limited himself to playing guitar, most of the synthesizers on Initiation were played and programmed by Rundgren himself.

Initiation
Studio album by
Todd Rundgren
ReleasedMay 23, 1975
StudioSecret Sound Studio, Media Sound Studio, and Bearsville Sound Studio, New York
GenreProgressive rock[1]
Length67:34
LabelBearsville
ProducerTodd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren chronology
Todd
(1974)		 Initiation
(1975)		 Faithful
(1976)
Singles from Initiation
  1. "Real Man"
    Released: April 1975
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
allmusic[1]
Rolling Stone(Not rated)[2]

At over sixty-seven minutes, Initiation is one of the longest commercially-released LPs. The album's original inner sleeve included a note which stated: "Technical note: Due to the amount of music on this disc (over one hour), two points must be emphasized. Firstly, if your needle is worn or damaged, it will ruin the disc immediately. Secondly, if the sound does seem not loud enough on your system, try re-recording the music onto tape. By the way, thanks for buying the album."

The titles and concept are taken directly from Alice A. Bailey's book A Treatise on Cosmic Fire.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Todd Rundgren.

Side one

  1. "Real Man" – 4:27
  2. "Born to Synthesize" – 3:41
  3. "The Death of Rock and Roll" – 3:48
  4. "Eastern Intrigue" – 5:05
  5. "Initiation" – 7:03
  6. "Fair Warning" – 8:08

Side two

  1. "A Treatise on Cosmic Fire" (Instrumental) – 35:22
    • "Intro - Prana" – 4:21
    • "I. The Fire of Mind - or: Solar Fire" – 3:50
    • "II. The Fire of Spirit - or: Electric Fire" – 7:33
    • "III. The Internal Fire - or: Fire by Friction" – 19:38
      1. "Mûlâdhâra: The Dance of Kundalini"
      2. "Svâdhishthâna: Bam, Bham, Mam, Yam, Ram, Lam, Thank You, Mahm"
      3. "Manipûra: Seat of Fire"
      4. "Anâhata: The Halls of Air"
      5. "Vishudda: Sounds Beyond Ears"
      6. "Ajnâ: Sights Beyond Eyes"
      7. "Brahmarandhra: Nirvana Shakri"
    • "Outro - Prana"

Personnel

"Real Man” (Recorded at Secret Sound Studio)

"Born to Synthesize” (Recorded at Bearsville Sound Studio)

  • Todd Rundgren – vocals
  • Roger Powell – synthesizer treatments

"The Death of Rock and Roll" (Recorded at Media Sound Studio)

"Eastern Intrigue” (Recorded at Secret Sound Studio)

"Initiation” (Recorded at Media Sound Studio)

  • Todd Rundgren – vocals, lead guitar, clavinet, synthesizer, RMI Keyboard Computer, ARP String Ensemble
  • Bob Rose – rhythm guitar
  • John Siegler – bass
  • Rick Marotta, Bernard Purdie – drums
  • Lee Pastora – congas
  • David Sanborn – saxophone solo
  • Roger Powell – synthesizer solo

"Fair Warning” (Recorded at Media Sound Studio)

  • Todd Rundgren – vocals, piano, electric sitar, RMI Keyboard Computer, ARP String Ensemble
  • Moogy Klingman – organ
  • Rick Derringer – guitar
  • Dan Hartman – bass
  • Chris Parker, Barry Lazarowitz – drums
  • Edgar Winter – saxophone

"A Treatise on Cosmic Fire" (Recorded at Secret Sound and Bearsville Sound Studios)

  • Todd Rundgren – all instruments
  • Roger Powell – synthesizer programming, "creative assistance"

Production

Charts

Album

Chart (1975) Position
Billboard Pop Albums[3] 86

"Real Man"

Chart (1975) Position
Billboard Hot 100[4] 83

References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011). "Initiation - Todd Rundgren | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  2. Miller, Jim (2011). "Todd Rundgren: Initiation : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". web.archive.org. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  3. "Todd Rundgren > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  4. "Todd Rundgren > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
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